Level 5: Sample Activity

Manipulation of Sounds: Connections to Print

Level 5 Activities are the highest level of phonemic awareness. The focus is to manipulate sounds (phonemes) within words; adding, exchanging, deleting, or transposing sounds (phonemes) to form new words.

Children ready for Level 5, have solid knowledge of how language works before attempting this level. Children need to be able to mentally blend sounds (phonemes), modify words, and segment sounds (phonemes) in order to make the sound (phonemic) transference. The ability to manipulate sounds (phonemes) strongly correlates with beginning reading acquisition.

Early Literacy Foundational Skills

• Sound (Phoneme) Substitution

  • identify and substitute beginning sound in a word

  • identify and substitute ending sound in a word

  • identify and substitute middle sounds in a word

• Sound (Phoneme) Deletion

  • identify and omit beginning sound in a word

  • identify and omit ending sound in a word

  • identify and omit middle sounds in a word

Sample Activity

GOAL: sound (phoneme) substitution, sound (phoneme) blending, & matching sounds (phonemes) to letters

Materials:

• alphabet cards

• pocket chart (optional)

Directions

Have individual printed alphabet letters - one letter per card. Ask the child(ren) to find the letters that sound like /c/, /a/, /t/. Have the child(ren) move the letters into different orders to spell the following words: cat, act, & tac. As each word is created, have the child(ren) say the word.

Have more advanced learners begin to use cards with consonant digraphs (sh, th, ph) and vowel digraphs (ai, oa, ea). Digraphs are typically two letters that create only one sound.

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Always model first until the child is comfortable with this activity.

• Caution with beginnings or endings with consonant digraphs (EX: ch, sh, th). Assist the child(ren) in these examples.

• Caution if using vowel digraphs (EX: ai, ea, ee). Assist the child(ren) in these examples.